Exel protests London loading time
Exel, a U.K.-based provider of logistics services, has publicly protested the aggressive ticketing practices of traffic wardens in London Borough councils.
'The law says that our drivers legally have 20 minutes to unload and make their deliveries,' said John Allan, chief executive of Exel. 'But the traffic wardens have now got to know our delivery routes and in many cases are ready and waiting to fine us as soon as our vehicles turn up, blatantly ignoring passenger vehicles that have been parked illegally for some time,' Allan asserted.
'At current fine levels, I can expect a parking bill of half a million pounds by the end of 2004, just to conduct legitimate business in London,' Allan explained.
'Where we do infringe laws, we are happy to face the consequences, but the issue here is that the law is not being applied. In most cases, we are not getting the legal 20-minute unloading time,' he said.
'One Exel crew had 10 fines in one day. We have the pictures to prove it,' said Steve Barry, site manager for Tradeteam, an Exel company. 'We've appealed to the authorities, but we are ignored. I don't know what else we can do.'
In one case, a driver received two tickets in the space of two minutes because he would make one delivery, go around the corner to make the second delivery, and find the traffic warden waiting for him again, Exel noted in a statement.
'The Mayor of London needs to sort this situation out,' Allan said. 'This is a big price to pay for running our everyday business.'